John Farmer’s Perspective essay last week, “After nearly four years of Barack Obama, is white America still uneasy with a black man in the White House?” (July 22), drew a flurry of letters, calls and e-mails to The Star-Ledger. Here is a sampling.

On racism

Why is John Farmer dancing all around the word “racist?” His persistent questioning uncovered the layer in American life on which racism feeds: fear, separation and ignorance.

The honesty of one guest, followed by others, led Farmer to conclude that a significant number of whites would probably not vote for President Obama this fall because he is a black man. When rejection is based on race, isn’t that the racism that Farmer seemed intent on confronting?

Political correctness has led most Americans either to make conscious efforts not to reveal negative feelings or to recognize what has afflicted our souls and experience people of other races as those who share the same hopes and problems as everyone else.

The guest who confessed being uncomfortable with a black man in the White House acknowledged her discomfort and then became uncomfortable about her discomfort. She knew what it said about her thinking and wanted assurance that it didn’t make her a racist.

We have trouble calling it what it is, and yet, in order to reach the dream that America has been striving for, we have to open the festering wound and be healed. Her honesty was an opportunity.

Phyllis L. Reed, Montclair

Obama’s problems

I don’t care what dinner party John Farmer recently attended where people were “uncomfortable” with the fact that a black man, not a white man, occupies the Oval Office. Most ordinary Americans are concerned with President Obama’s policies and we don’t care if his skin color is purple.

John Farmer’s dinner party story was just him playing to the Democratic talking point No.1: racism. Note that the majority of voters remain white today, as they did in 2008 when Obama won. He won with significant support from white voters. Absent that support, he would have lost.

Were those white Obama voters racists? Were they uncomfortable with a nonwhite president? I think not.

Dissatisfaction with the president today — now I’m just guessing — could have something to do with his performance and not color.

I would not invite Farmer back. The objective of dinner conversations is to create a pleasant and peaceful environment to complement the food served, not to engage in political rants, partisan positioning or to make a pretense of being in some imagined higher order.

Jim Marano, East Hanover

Obama’s record

President Obama ignores the fact that some people stake their lifetime achievements on an idea originating in their own mind and some achieve great fame and fortune for their genius, great timing and good luck. John Farmer opined that Obama being African-American is still unacceptable to many.

Truth be known, Obama is an economic lightweight and grossly incompetent, and his race has virtually nothing to do with his mismanagement of our country and poor stewardship of the economy.

John Carlucci, Lake Hiawatha

Questionable sources

John Farmer, one of your dinner companions thinks President Obama is a Muslim because he or she heard it on Fox News? That doesn’t scare the hell out of you? And you believe at least most of the guests are not racists.

Did you ask them how they feel about a Mormon president? Apparently not. I’m sure the response would have been very interesting.